Are Documentaries Scripted?

Documentaries can vary widely in how they are produced and whether they are scripted depends on the style and approach of the filmmakers. While many traditional documentaries lean towards capturing real-life events and spontaneous interactions without a written script, certain elements can be pre-planned to enhance storytelling and convey messages effectively. Let’s explore the nuances of scripting in documentary filmmaking.

Traditional Documentaries

Many traditional documentaries are not scripted in the same way as fictional films. Instead, they often involve real events, interviews, and unscripted interactions. Filmmakers may have a plan or an outline for what they want to cover, but the actual events and interviews shape the final product. The focus is on reflecting genuine real-life experiences rather than following a predetermined narrative structure.

Narrative Structure

Some documentaries may have a loose script or a narrative structure to guide the storytelling. This can include prepared questions for interviews or a voiceover script that ties together various segments. This approach helps in maintaining a coherent flow and ensures that the story is narratively compelling.

Docudramas

Docudramas blend factual content with dramatized reenactments. In these cases, there is often a script for the reenacted portions, while the documentary interviews and footage remain unscripted. This hybrid approach allows filmmakers to combine dramatic elements with real-life accounts, creating a more engaging and emotionally resonant experience for the audience.

Creative Documentaries

Some filmmakers choose to script certain elements to achieve specific artistic goals or to ensure a more coherent narrative flow. Even in more creative or experimental documentaries, scripting can help create a storyline that helps the viewer understand the film's message. This approach aligns more closely with conventional storytelling techniques, making the documentary more accessible and engaging.

The Importance of a Script

Ideally, documentaries should be based on unscripted real-life events. The documentarian aims to ask and answer questions about their chosen subject, reach a conclusion, and edit the footage to fit that conclusion. Sometimes, documentaries leave the viewer with more questions, lacking a clear end. However, in reality, many documentaries are pre-scripted to help convey a message.

A script is essential for providing structure to the content filmed. It ensures that the focus remains on the subject and that the filmmaker knows exactly what to film. Even reality TV shows, which are often seen as spontaneous, are scripted to guide the narrative and keep the story moving forward.

A documentary can be based on a true story, real events, or hard facts, but it also has a script with a beginning, middle, and end—much like a feature film. This creates a storyline that helps the viewer understand the film's message. Without a structured script, a documentary might feel like a sequence of disconnected images and sounds, making it challenging for the audience to follow and connect with the story.

Examples from Quebec

To illustrate the impact of scripting, let’s consider an example from Quebec. They filmed a nature segment where the camera rolled continuously for hours, capturing random footage. After extensive editing, the best shots were selected, but the result was often confusing and not particularly engaging. Viewers found it difficult to follow the story, making it a less successful documentary approach.

However, this method of shooting raw footage and editing it later has been a trending phenomenon for some time. It can work well for certain types of documentaries where the emphasis is on raw, unscripted events, but for most documentaries, a pre-planned structure is crucial to create a cohesive and engaging narrative.

In conclusion, the role of scripting in documentaries can vary widely depending on the filmmaker's approach. While many traditional documentaries strive to capture real-life events and interactions, certain elements can be pre-planned to enhance storytelling and convey messages effectively. Understanding the importance of scripting can help filmmakers create more impactful and engaging documentaries.